i fell in love next to you
by burn my mind
Summary: "I love you," She sighs, "I love you all." / NJBC. The Hamptons. Pre-series.


**Authors Note: **It was my birthday on Sunday, not that anybody cares lol. Finally fourteen! So in honour of that I'm gonna do pre NJBC circa their fourteen year old selves (i may be new to being fourteen but my friends have been it forever so yeah + people I go to school with).

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

::

It was Summer, and it was hot.

Like, scorching, strip down to your undies, can you kill me please, boiling, uncomfortable, _oh my fucking god_, do we live in a desert, insane, sweltering, unbearable, muggy, humid hot.

Yeah, _that _kind of hot.

Blair glared at Serena and Nate (again) as the two of them shared an ice-cream (gross) , and giggled without a single care in the freaking world. Serena groaned as she messily tied up her hair in a bun on top of her head (her long, blonde, fucking _perfect_ hair), smiling sweetly at Nate as she placed her head on his shoulder, her tongue darting out towards the ice-cream.

(Maybe she was reading too many 'How to see if my best friend is flirting with my boyfriend' articles).

"You're _so _funny, Natie!" Serena giggled, head thrown back in roaring laughter as Nate told another (lame) joke. His grin widening at the sound of her laughter, eyes shining brightly at her.

(Or maybe Serena was reading too many 'How to flirt with my best friend's boyfriend' articles).

::

The ocean roars, beating against the rocks, spraying the four inhabitants of the beach with cold water, which they all welcome with open arms.

"It's too hot," Serena complains, sliding out of her dress and dumping it next to her. She curls rainbow coloured painted toe nails into the sand, she scoops up a small amount of sand in one hand and flings it in Blair's direction (bad idea), giggling softly as the sand explodes all over Blair's hair.

All that is heard is a shriek, and all is seen is a flurry of grains of sand as they fly at Serena.

Both girls stand up, Serena grinning as she chases Blair around the beach, throwing sand at her. Blair, dodging it as best as she can, shrieking when it hits her, and throwing it back at Serena.

(It's so out of character, and yet so _in_ character).

"I hate you!" Blair screams, running into the water, it's so hot that she doesn't care that her hair is ruined as she dives into it.

She doesn't care much for the dress that is soaked either. (She'll care later).

::

She peers down at the dress, a frown implanted on her lips.

"It's ruined," She pouts, twisting a brown curl around her finger sadly.

"No it's not!" Serena exclaims, trying her best to cheer up Blair.

(She won't admit that secretly she's glad that the dress is ruined, it looked _really _good on Blair).

"It'll be fine, B." Nate reassures her, sending her a warm smile (the kind of smile that makes everything okay again, you know, _that _smile), she lets her own lips lift a little bit upward. If only for a second she can act like her dress will be okay, that it _is _okay. Then her eyes land back onto it, and she groans.

"It's ruined!" She exclaims, once again. Fingers trailing over the lace detailing of the dress. She stills her movements, picks the dress up and carries it into the bathroom. She throws it in the laundry basket, whoever the maids are here can look after it for her.

"Better?" Chuck asks, speaking up from the corner of the room. A sly smile plays on his lips, like he knows a secret that you don't. Blair rolls her eyes, beams at Nate and ignores Serena all together (this was her fault after all).

::

"Just fucking try it, S." Chuck groans, throwing the joint in her direction. It lands in her lap, she picks it up cautiously in her hands.

Nate was already inhaling it, Chuck was already inhaling it, Blair had refused, _"There is no way in hell, Bass. I can't believe _Nate's _even doing it!" _She had wailed. Plus, if she tried it, then she and Nate would have something in common that Blair wouldn't.

"Okay," She answered slyly, she fumbled for a few minutes but she eventually got the hang of it.

Blair looks on in disgust, watching the three of them giggle and laugh and cough and splutter and-

"I'm leaving," Blair announces, standing up, dusting off any sand that had gotten onto her clothes and turning around. She expects at least Serena to follow, to mutter apologies, roll her eyes at Blair but chase after her never the less. Or Nate.

(Who was she kidding, Nate? _Please_. Serena was still there).

"God, Blair's _such _a spoil sport." Serena giggles, knocking shoulders with Nate.

(She knows this makes her a bad best friend but _she _liked Nate first. He was hers first, she still remembers _their _first kiss, and it happened before Blair ever kissed Nate. She doesn't want to steal him, or anything. She doesn't want to break Blair's heart, but _god_, the two of them are so better suited than he and Blair).

::

"Look at them," Blair sneers, looking at the two blondes mucking about in the water. Squealing and laughing happily. Nate's grabbed Serena by the waist, and is attempting to drown her (or play pretend drown her anyway), her long legs kicking upwards, begging, screaming for help all while laughing happily. Blair has to look away before she has a full blown breakdown.

"You know, _we_ could always get back at them," Chuck leers, eyes flickering between the two of them, suggesting something Blair didn't want to partake in. She lets out a laugh, he always knew how to bring a smile to her lips. She would give him that.

She scrunches up her nose in disgust anyway, _as if _that _would _ever _happen_. Ever.

(He doesn't want to admit he's just a _little _heartbroken over the fact).

"Ew, stop it, Bass! My ears are bleeding. Can't you go hit on Serena or something? That'll take her _away _from Nate." She smiles wickedly at her own genius plan, she turns her attention back to the two blonde figures splashing in the waves expecting to see Chuck amongst them.

"Well? Don't just stand there, _go_!" She orders once she realises he hasn't even moved a muscle. He gets up reluctantly, and heads towards the water.

(He would only ever do this for her, but Serena's hot anyway).

::

"Chuck!" Serena squeals, pushing him away as his hands latch onto her waist. He lets go of her, shrugging his shoulders. Nate's already moving towards the shore, towards Blair.

(He can see the brunette smile from where he is, he'll never admit it but it makes him smile).

"The two of them sicken me," Serena remarks, frowning (a look which doesn't suit her but as Blair would put it, "_looks fucking fantastic on her anyway_"), she crosses her arms against her chest, floats downwards into the water. Downwards towards the sandy bottom, sinks, and sinks and sinks until she's sitting cross legged on the ocean floor. It's almost a test to see how long she can hold her breath (no, she doesn't wish it would suddenly stop and fail on her). Well, maybe sometimes.

Chuck sinks to the bottom of the ocean, downwards and downwards and downwards. (Ironic isn't it, how the two who spiral downwards literally spiral downwards). Serena floats back to the surface. Chuck follows her. She giggles, he laughs, and she lets him put his hands back on her waist. She lets him kiss her cheek.

"I love you," She sighs, "I love you all."

(He'll never admit it but it makes him smile that she's also happy).

::

"We should set them up." Nate suggests, watching Serena and Chuck frolic in the waves. Kiss each other lightheartedly (pecks and small kisses between _friends_). Blair lets out a laugh, leaning her head against Nate's shoulder, nodding _yes yes yes_.

(It's always the four of them anyway).

He draws four little stick figures into the sand, two of them holding hands (Blair & he), two of them smiling but apart (Serena & Chuck). He laughs happily as Blair makes up some story about the four figures, as she re-hashes out details from Iz and Kati's _girls only sleepover party_ that he had missed. She laughs as he tells her a (lame) joke.

(He'll miss this, because in a few years everything will change).

"Why didn't you draw S & Chuck holding hands, we're trying to get them together." Blair states, peering curiously at his drawing again. He gulps, (the truth is he doesn't really want Serena and Chuck together, S is _his_ even if she isn't). He shrugs his shoulders, leaning down and drawing them holding hands. He looks to Blair for approval, her glossed lips curving upwards.

"That's better."

::

"Ooh, I like pink better on you!" Serena squeals, her voice high pitched and happy. Blair smiles as Serena happily paints her toenails, chatting on and on about how Christian is _like in love with her_ and she doesn't know what to do and all. Blair suggests a few ideas, shows her all the _gross _pages in her magazine. The two of them laughing about some girl whose tampon string was hanging out of her shorts while shopping with her boyfriend and he had pulled it down, and it had come out.

"Gross, and totally _not _true," Blair points out seriously, causing Serena to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Ew." Serena agrees, bottling up the nail polish and coming to sit up on the bed with her best friend (no boy could change that), her head on Blair's shoulder, brunette and blonde spilling out and mixing together.

"I love you, B. Infinity and beyond," Serena says seriously. She _does_, she loves Blair with all her heart (and her heart is pretty big).

"I love you too, S." Blair responds, automatically (but she doesn't need to think twice about the answer).

::

**A\N: **Lol that story about the tampon is real, my friends and I read it in a magazine. This was meant to be longer but like nobody will read it soooo. Um, also I need to study because I have my first _ever _exam(s) tomorrow. Wish me luck? I need it.


End file.
